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Dec 08
18
2008
7:00 PM
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17 attended (est.) –
4.507
Informal discussion of Politics, Philosophy and Religion over dinner in old city Philadelphia. Topics for Discussion: Speaker: Lori Lipman Brown, Director of the Secular Coalition, Nov. 30 Speaker: Gregory S. Paul - Why Religion Was Invented, Dec. 2 Meetup Philabundance Work Day, Dec. 13 Public Transportation Subway: the location is within easy walking distance of the 5th Street station of the Market Frankford Subway Line. Regional rail: all Septa passenger rail lines pass through Market East station. From there one can take the subway from 11th Street station eastbound to 5th. Bus: The 9, 21, and 42 Septa buses travel past the location.
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Only members of this Group can view the location for this Meetup
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15 Yes
9 Maybe
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Dec 08
13
2008
12:30 PM
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11 attended (est.) –
5.002
This volunteer work day at the Philabundance warehouse, organized by the PhillyCoR Service Club, is a great way to celebrate the winter holidays--you'l l be amazed at how easy it is to do so much good. Two important notes: 1. To RSVP 'yes,' volunteers must contact Martha at humanistmarf@gmail.com or call 215-475-2573. The RSVP on Meetup.com is not enough. 2. Volunteers must wear sneakers, and they're so not kidding about this. They won't let you into the warehouse without them. The shift lasts about 3 hours, which flies by once you get started, and at the end there's a gratifying tower of boxes ready to go to people in need. Everybody wins! Hope to see you there! Please check these links for more information about Philabundance and PhillyCOR.
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Philabundance Warehouse
Philadelphia,
PA, 19122
39.979505,-75.140043
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11 Yes
3 Maybe
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Dec 08
2
2008
7:00 PM
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12 attended (est.) –
4.005
Title of Talk: The Big Religion Questions Solved: Why Religion Was Invented, Why It Has Been Popular, Why It is Crashing In the 1st World, and Why Religious Nations Are Never Socio-Economically Healthy Gregory S. Paul is a paleontologist, artist and author. In 2005 he made headlines with his studies indicating that religious societies are worse off than secular ones. The upcoming issue of Free Inquiry magazine will feature his cover story, "The Big Religion Questions Finally Solved". From the FSGP Website: In a preview of his cover article in the upcoming issue of Free Inquiry, Gregory Paul shows that in the last few years statistical sociological science has finally solved the fundamental questions surrounding religion as a mass phenomenon. The results show that in most persons, religiosity is a superficial psychological response to adverse or insecure socio-economic conditions, and organized religion is imploding in every 1st world nation where the middle class is highly secure due to progressive government policies. Links
*Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side' - Times Online
*Gregory S. Paul Wikipedia article
* To the church, he’s public enemy No. 1 - MSNBC
* Free Inquiry magazine This event is presented by the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia. See also the Freethought Society Meetup.
Public Transit:
SEPTA Regional Rail: Take the R5 line to Bryn Mawr StationHigh speed Line : Route 100 Line from 69th Street terminal
105 bus Google Map of location
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Ludington Library
Bryn Mawr,
PA, 19010
40.020760,-75.318290
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6 Yes
7 Maybe
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Nov 08
30
2008
11:00 AM
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55 attended (est.) –
4.504
Details to be announced. From Lori Lipman Brown's biography:
Lori Lipman Brown was hired by the Secular Coalition for America in September, 2005 as its first director and first full-time employee. She directs the Coalition's activities and lobbies members of Congress on issues arising out of the inappropriate incursion of religion into civil law. Brown addresses the interests and concerns of America's atheists, freethinkers, humanists, agnostics, and other nontheists through media appearances and speaking engagements. She has been a frequent political commentator on television and radio, including appearances on The Situation Room with Tucker Carlson and The O'Reilly Factor, The Colbert Report, as well as a regular contributor to a variety of print media. Lori Lipman Brown's Schedule Website: Secular Coalition for America
Wikipedia articles: Secular Coalition for America, Lori Lipman Brown.
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Philadelphia Ethical Society
Philadelphia,
PA, 19103
39.948578,-75.173021
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9 Yes
13 Maybe
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Nov 08
20
2008
7:00 PM
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39 attended (est.) –
4.505
Informal discussion of Politics, Philosophy and Religion over dinner in old city Philadelphia. Public Transportation Subway: the location is within easy walking distance of the 5th Street station of the Market Frankford Subway Line. Regional rail: all Septa passenger rail lines pass through Market East station. From there one can take the subway from 11th Street station eastbound to 5th. Bus: The 9, 21, and 42 Septa buses travel past the location.
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Only members of this Group can view the location for this Meetup
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15 Yes
8 Maybe
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Nov 08
19
2008
5:00 PM
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18 attended (est.) –
4.504
Very short notice, but worth juggling your schedule for: A discussion with PZ Myers! (Scroll down a bit for the blurb.) It's a bit late to set up a guaranteed contact person you can look for when you get there, but if you're going and want other meetup people to be able to find you, post a note here saying so (and tell them how to recognize you).
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Kelly Writers House
Philadelphia,
PA, 19104
39.952504,-75.199088
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18 Yes
4 Maybe
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Nov 08
17
2008
7:00 PM
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5 attended (est.) –
3.502
Synopsis: A warning of the dangers when military power and religious fervor are joined, Constantine’s Sword is an astonishing exploration of the history of anti-Semitism. The film follows acclaimed National Book Award winner and former priest, James Carroll, on a journey to discover a terrible legacy of religiously sanctioned violence across the centuries: from the Emperor Constantine’s vision of the cross as a sword and symbol of power to the modern reverberations of religious extremism. Guest Speaker: Jonathan Steinberg, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Modern European History, University of Pennsylvania.
...
Constantine’s Sword is the story of James Carroll; a former Catholic priest on a journey to confront his past and uncover the roots of religiously inspired violence and war. His search also reveals a growing scandal involving religious infiltration of the U.S. military and the terrible consequences of religion’s influence on America’s foreign policy. This will be shown at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival.
Tickets Tickets are available at TicketLeap.com. $10 admission
Note: Discount tickets are not available.
DVD
Note that this film is available on DVD, so even if you don't attend the festival you can rent or buy it and join the discussion.
Links
Official site: Constantinessword.com
Constantine's Sword IMDB entry
The Jewish Film Festival and Israeli Film Festival at gophila.com
Author James P. Carroll on wikipedia.
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Gershman Y
Philadelphia,
PA, 19147
39.945560,-75.165085
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6 Yes
10 Maybe
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Nov 08
15
2008
7:00 PM
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1 attended (est.) –
No rating yet
Discussion of the book, Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief by Andrew Newberg. The group will meet for dinner at a local restaurant afterwards.
From Amazon.com:
Over the centuries, theories have abounded as to why human beings have a seemingly irrational attraction to God and religious experiences. In Why God Won't Go Away authors Andrew Newberg, M.D., Eugene D'Aquili, M.D., and Vince Rause offer a startlingly simple, yet scientifically plausible opinion: humans seek God because our brains are biologically programmed to do so.
Researchers Newberg and D'Aquili used high-tech imaging devices to peer into the brains of meditating Buddhists and Franciscan nuns. As the data and brain photographs flowed in, the researchers began to find solid evidence that the mystical experiences of the subjects "were not the result of some fabrication, or simple wishful thinking, but were associated instead with a series of observable neurological events," explains Newberg. "In other words, mystical experience is biologically, observably, and scientifically real.... Gradually, we shaped a hypothesis that suggests that spiritual experience, at its very root, is intimately interwoven with human biology."--Gail Hudson
Links
Andrew Newberg - official website
Books by Newberg
Neurotheology article on wikipedia Secular Book Club
This group meets on a monthly basis. For more information, see the meetup site for the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia. Note: it is not required that you read the book to attend this or any Book club event - just familiarize yourself with the subject matter at the links given.
This event is a presentation of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia and the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia
Transportation
The bookstore is within walking distance of the SEPTA R2 Willow Grove Station.
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Barnes and Noble
Willow Grove,
PA, 19090
40.143406,-75.118680
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1 Yes
4 Maybe
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Nov 08
14
2008
7:00 PM
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24 attended (est.) –
4.004
Ronald Aronson has a mission: to demonstrate that a life without religion can be coherent, moral, and committed. Optimistic and stirring, Aronson's new book, Living Without God, is less interested in attacking religion than in developing a positive philosophy for atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, skeptics, and freethinkers. Grounded in the sense that we are deeply dependent and interconnected beings who are rooted in the universe, nature, history, society, and the global economy, Living Without God explores the experience and issues of 21st-century secularists, especially in America. Books will be available for purchase and signing by Mr. Aronson at the event. Ron Aronson is a distinguished professor of the History of Ideas at Wayne State University in Michigan, and has authored/edited nine books, including Camus & Sartre (Chicago, 2004) and After Marxism (Guilford, 1995). He has published articles in The Nation, Bookforum, The Yale Review, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, The Toronto Star and more.
Ronald Aronson's Profile Page - Wayne State University Living Without God: New Directions for Atheists, Agnostics, Secularists, and the Undecided page on Amazon This event is presented by the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia.
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Only members of this Group can view the location for this Meetup
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13 Yes
9 Maybe
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Nov 08
4
2008
8:00 PM
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18 attended (est.) –
5.001
A message from Sally Cramer of FSGP: Join the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia to watch the election coverage while enjoying some locally brewed beers and food on Tuesday, Novermber 4th, 2008! Whether or not this election is the most important election ever, it is important. There will be much at stake in this election for people of varying political, social, and philosophical persuasions. Let's spend some good quality time among like-minded people and watch the results roll in at a great local Philadelphia venue. As usual we will keep our conversations away from politics, religion, and other unsocial topics. In all seriousness, we'll have some chatter while we watch the 2008 elections with good company. There will be no cost except what you purchase. Come out and join us! Also, I have a bunch of "Friendly Neighborhood Atheist" t-shirts that I'm going to bring on 11/4. They have been sold for $10/ea in the past, but we will be offering them on a donation basis that night (whatever you can give, great). I do have most sizes and will bring a variety with me; however, if you want to "reserve" one, please send an e-mail off-list to fsgp@freethought.org with your name(s) and requested size(s). You may also give your donation in advance if you'd like to at www.fsgp.org/donate.html.
Hope to see you on the 4th (REMEMBER TO VOTE!!!) Sally J. Cramer, President
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Only members of this Group can view the location for this Meetup
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6 Yes
6 Maybe
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